Georgia Jipp: Blizzard Pilot, published by the South Dakota Historical Society Press, has won the prestigious 2025 Spur Award for Best Western Children’s Picture Book, presented by the Western Writers of America.   The Western Writers of America annually presents the Spur Awards to recognize dist inguished writing about the American West. Beginning in 1953, the Spur Awards have become one of the most prestigious awards for American literature.   Georgia Jipp: Blizzard Pilot, written by Laura Beth Dean and illustrated by Jeanne Bowman, tells the true story of Georgia Hoyt Jipp and the courageous missions she flew to deliver aid during the historic winter storms of 1949.   Jipp grew up on a western South Dakota ranch. When a blizzard struck on Jan. 2, 1949, ushering in three months of snowstorms that ranked as the worst in the state’s history, Jipp answered the desperate pleas of farmers, ranchers, and families throughout South Dakota. She flew over 150 rescue missions for the American Red Cross, more than anyone else in the state. Her disaster relief efforts with the Red Cross were part of a larger coordinated effort across the Great Plains called Operation Snowbound.   Georgia Jipp: Blizzard Pilot is intended for children at the grades 2–3 reading level. It is available to order for $19.95, plus shipping and tax, at www.sdhspress.com/books. For more information about the South Dakota Historical Society Press, please visit www.sdhspress.com and follow the South Dakota State Historical Society on Facebook.   Other recent Spur Award–winning children’s and young readers’ books published by SDHS Press include American Ace: Joe Foss, Fighter Pilot (Juvenile Nonfiction, 2023), and Charlie Russell and the Gnomes of Bull Head Lodge (Children’s Picture Book, 2022). A Place for Harvest: The Story of Kenny Higashi was a finalist for Best Western Children’s Picture Book in 2023. Find out more about the Spur Awards and the Western Writers of America at westernwriters.org. ...read more read less